The only blog dedicated to your wrists

Archive for the ‘Radius Fracture’ Category:

Radial Fracture and a Fall

A radial fracture occurs in the largest bone of the forearm, the radius. People who slip or fall may suffer a radial fracture. Many older people who have brittle bones will get a radius fracture from a small fall. Sports players often get a distal radius fracture when a ball hits their wrist or they fall hard on their wrist. A person that falls and breaks their elbow also has a radial fracture.

Who is most likely to have a radial fracture?

People who have brittle bones are more susceptible to a radius fracture. A small fall will often break their wrist.

This is because the bone density diminishes over time in people who have osteoporosis.

Healthy people will have broken wrists from trauma and other serious incidents. They are vehicle accidents, bike accidents, motorcycle accidents and other trauma.

What are the signs of a radial fracture?

When someone has a radius fracture, they will feel pain instantly.

The swelling and bruising in the wrist area will also obvious.

Many times the wrist will lie at a deformed position.

Doctors take x-rays of the wrist to determine the amount of damage done to the bone.

Many times, the break is close to the end of the radial end.

There are several types of fractures that can happen.

What is the treatment for a radial fracture?

People who have a radius fracture that is not deformed, they can use ice packs to reduce the swelling and pain before seeing a doctor.

They also can apply a splint to their wrist before they travel in a car to their doctor.

When the fracture is very painful, doctors recommend that people go to the hospital’s emergency department.

Patients who have a fracture to their wrists will receive a splint or cast after the bone is set back in place. Casts are removed every two weeks to monitor the reduction in swelling. Orthopedic doctors often take x-rays of the wrist to determine how long the cast needs to stay on. Casts are normally off after six weeks.

People will often be given a painkiller prescription to aid in pain relief.

Can a radial fracture be prevented?

Everyone can prevent a radius fracture.

When people ride a bike or motorcycle, they can wear a wrist guard.

Also, a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients will help keep bones healthy and strong.

Calcium supplements are available or you can drink the recommended amount of milk daily.

A radial fracture can happen to anyone. Fortunately, prevention and treatment methods are available to all.

The Facts about a Radius Fracture

Who can experience this injury?

A radius fracture can happen to anyone. (This includes a fun-loving adult who decides to show the kids his famous dive and slide technique on the slip-n-slide.)

Athletes, for example, often get a radius fracture when they land hard or catch a ball the wrong way.

Another example is that often older men and women will get a radius fracture from a minor fall to the floor. The bone density decreases when men and women age.

Women often develop osteoporosis, which causes bone degeneration. They are at an increased risk of having a radius fracture than younger people.

Young, healthy individuals will get a broken wrist during a traumatic event, such as car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and bike incidents.

Where exactly is this injury on the body?

There are two bones in the forearm, the ulna and radius.

The radius is the larger of the two bones.

People who break their elbow and/or wrist may have a radius fracture.

What are the signs that this injury occured?

People who have a radius fracture will have instant pain in the injured area.

There will also be swelling or bruising. Most broken bones lie in a disfigured position.

Doctors will review an x-ray of the broken bones to identify the severity of the break. More often than not, the radius bone breaks close to the edge of the bone.

Is this injury preventable?

There are steps that people can take to reduce the risk of a radius fracture.

Bike riders can wear wrist guards to protect their bones in case of an accident.

The same goes for motorcycle riders.

People who eat a healthy diet that is rich in vitamins and calcium will have a reduced risk of bone degeneration.

How is this injury treated?

When the radius fracture is still aligned, patients usually can wait to see their doctor if the pain is not too great.

Otherwise, patients who have deformed broken wrists will go to the emergency room for immediate treatment.

Broken wrists are either in splints or in casts. Doctors will often put the wrist in a splint until the swelling goes down.

Once the swelling goes down, the patient will receive a cast.

The cast normally stays on for two weeks and then is removed so that an x-ray can show the healing progress.

Most patients will wear a cast up to six weeks when they have a radius fracture.

Since a radius fracture can happen to anyone from a young, healthy athlete to an older, less active individual, the important steps are understanding the points of prevention, detection and treatment. And remember, maybe your turn on the slip-n-slide should stay in memory lane.

Radial Fracture

Radial fractures, or wrist fractures, are highly common. This is particularly true among adults. Those who play contact sports are also very likely to have this kind of break. Football, perhaps the most physical sport, is a high-risk activity for wrist fractures. More than other sports, players hurl themselves at each other. They fall in heaps on top of one another. They continually put their wrists at risk.

Key #1 – Understanding How It Happens!

A distal radius fracture is on the inside bone of the forearm.

Normally, it is snapped. This can happen when a person stretches their hand out to catch themselves in a fall.

It is not difficult to suffer a radial fracture. Something as simple as tripping over your toddler’s toy truck could do it.

The likelihood of this injury increases when playing sports like football.

Key #2 – Understanding the Impact of the Injury!

A simple wrist break can easily end a football season.

Treatment of a fracture often requires immobilization of the wrist. This will promote healing and restore natural movement.

Because of the rough nature of football, playing with a break is a mistake. It will certainly prevent proper healing.

Key #3 – Understanding What You Should Do!

If you enjoy a game of football with the guys and have just suffered a distal radius fracture, it is very important that the doctor’s instructions be carefully followed.

Sitting on the sidelines will test your patience. However, being able to play again depends on keeping the wrist straight.

The less stress a patient places on their broken wrist the better. This is true for the entire healing period. This will increase the chances of regaining full mobility and rotation.

If you follow this advice, you should heal nicely.

Be prepared, some patients have occasional wrist pain after their injury.

Even with all the padding and protective equipment, football players are at risk of suffering a radial fracture. It is an injury that can quickly end a season. But these three keys can aid in a complete healing. The player just has to be patient and careful. When that happens, he will tackle relief!

Distal Radius Fracture

A distal radius fracture is a break in the radial bone. This bone is located in your forearm on your thumb side. When a person has this type of break, the tip of their ulna is usually broken as well.

Understanding the Injury

Radial fractures most commonly occur when there is a fall on outstretched hand(s). This can happen whether you fall forward or backwards. Tripping or missing a step can cause a distal radius fracture. We stretch out our hands to catch ourselves when we fall. It is a natural reaction.

That makes this kind of break very common. There are about 600,000 wrist fractures every year! Most of these are in adults and mainly in the elderly.

Understanding the Treatment

This nasty break can only be treated with complete immobilization of the joint.

If the break is very complex surgery may be needed.

More often, all that is needed is a strong splint. If the break requires a cast, the patient has to wear a splint until swelling subsides. This ensures a snug fit for the cast. If necessary, a cast might extend all the way up to include the elbow. This further prevents rotation. Rotation can negatively affect the healing process.

An internal fixation plate might be used to treat the break instead. This is placed inside the wrist to hold the bones together until they heal.

An external fixation is a piece of hardware affixed to the outside of the arm. Pieces of the device insert into the arm and attach to the bones to keep everything in place.

This method is used in patients with a distal radius fracture that is too unstable for a cast. But external fixation is more convenient than a cast in that it allows a person to easily shower and even gently use their hand.

Speed of recovery is dependent on a person’s age and activity level.

A distal radius fracture is a complex injury but this “break” down will help you understand the basics.